


Bear Tracks

by GhostHunter04



Category: Original Work
Genre: Bear cub, Hunting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-28
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2018-12-20 20:16:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11928447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostHunter04/pseuds/GhostHunter04
Summary: When Jaxson gets trapped in a cave with a bear cub, his only option is to move forward.





	Bear Tracks

**Author's Note:**

> I was bored so I wrote this. It's my first story so I know it's not as good as it could be. That being said, I hope you like the story.

It was a cool spring day and the early morning rays could be seen shining through the trees. The crunching of leaves could be heard throughout the forest.  
Soon enough, a figure could be seen at the edge of the woods. The figure was tall, at least six feet, and and had jet black hair. His cold green eyes could be seen glinting in the sun. In his hand was three rabbits, each held by their feet.  
Swiftly, he exited the woods and put the rabbits in a basket that was on the back of a four-wheeler. In the same basket that the rabbits were in was a sleek black and red helmet, of which he took out and put on his head. The figures name is Jaxson Black.  
Jaxson then got on the four-wheeler, started the engine, and drove home. The twenty minute drive seemed like eternity to Jaxson, who was trying to get home as soon as possible. As soon as he arrived, he took off his helmet and took the rabbits to the stump in his backyard. He expertly skinned and dressed them with a knife he kept in his belt while hunting. Then he hung the furs up to dry and brought the meat inside the house to wrap and put in the freezer.  
Jaxson looked up at the clock on the wall and saw it was 7:00. At that, he sighed in relief. He had thirty minutes to get changed and get to school. Not that he cared if he got to school on time, but he didn't want his mom yelling at him for being late again.  
Quickly, he went upstairs to switch his bloody black t-shirt for a clean blue one. Then, he switched his dirt covered jeans for an identical pair. Next he strode into the bathroom to wash his face and brush his hair.  
When he finished, he went back downstairs and saw he had fifteen minutes left. As it only took seven to walk to school, he thought he had enough time for a quick breakfast. When he entered the kitchen, he had to hold back a groan of annoyance. His mother was already there, and by the look on her face, he already knew what she was going to say.  
“Jaxson? What are you doing home still?” She asked him.  
“I was bored, so I went out for a hunt and thought I could grab some breakfast before school.” He said, the annoyance he felt well hidden behind his usually monotone voice.  
She sighed, “Must you go out every morning? I rarely ever see you and you are almost always late for school. Maybe if you had friends to hang out with you wouldn't be so bored.”  
‘Here we go,’ he thought. Aloud he said “You know I don't get along with other children Mom.” ‘Or people in general;’ he thought. “And I already know the material they teach in school. I don't even see the point in going.” This was all said with a flat expression he has had on his face since the start of the conversation.  
Again, she sighed, “You go to school to learn new things, and hopefully to make new friends. Just get to school on time please.”  
“Fine,” Jaxson grabbed an apple for the breakfast he came in there for, took his backpack off the couch and left.  
He didn't come across many people on his way to school, as there weren't many people in the town in the first place. The small town in Colorado didn't have a big population, but it did have many forests, rivers, lakes, and mountains. That's why hunting was such a good hobby; there was a lot of wildlife, and it was all very diverse.  
His mornings were usually him checking the snares he set the previous day. Only on weekends or on vacations did he hunt big game. He spends most of his time in the forest or mountains. Although, he knew his mom would prefer for him to be spending his time with a friend. However, he doesn't feel any sort of inclination to spend time with people. He much prefers the forests. His thoughts were interrupted by him arriving at school.  
As soon as he stepped foot in the school, he could feel the eyes of people watching him on the back of his head. However, he was used to this and it didn't affect him anymore. When he made it to his locker, he put his bag in it and took out the stuff he would need for the day. After he grabbed all his stuff, he went to his first period class which happened to be history.  
“Nice of you to join us on time Mister Black,” said the teacher he never bothered to learn the name of.  
“No problem, Teach,” he replied, deadpan as he went to sit down. He knew she was just trying to embarrass him, and he knew better to give a reaction to it. It would only encourage her.  
“Now that everyone's here, we can get started with the lesson. Today we're going to continue learning about Joseph Stalin.”  
As soon as those words left her lips, he pulled out a book, and proceeded to read. It wasn't five minutes into the lesson before he was interrupted.  
“What are you doing Jaxson?” The teacher stopped the lesson to ask him.  
She was still trying to embarrass him. Even if he wasn't embarrassed, he was still annoyed that she keeps singling him out. He thought about ignoring her, but knew it would never work. So he replied with, “I'm reading a book.” He knew that would drive her crazy.  
“I can see that,” she said in an irritated tone, “but why aren't you paying attention to the lesson?”  
“Since I already know about Joseph Stalin, I figured I could spend my time doing something more productive,” Jaxson said.  
“Mister Black, if you're not going to pay attention to my class, then leave,” She told him with a smug tone, as if the threat would make him pay attention.  
Instead, he got up, gathered his things, and left. He imagined when she told him to leave she wanted him to go to the office. Instead, he went to his locker to get his bag, and left the school. Five minutes later, he was home. There was no point in staying the rest of the day.  
Since today was the Friday before vacation, he had a hunting trip planned. He already had a pre-packed bag of essentials, and a week's worth of food and water. He got his rifle, bullets, and a knife. Then, he left a note for his mother telling her where he was, and left.  
This time, instead of taking the four-wheeler, he walked to his favored hunting spot. It only took forty minutes to get to the edge of the forest. From then on, he was very careful with his steps, and made no noise.  
There was no leaves crunching under his foot, not even the sound of his breathing could be heard. He was completely silent. Even if he wasn't hunting yet, he knew to be quiet so he doesn't attract hostile animals to him.  
As the black haired boy continued to walk on what was quickly becoming rocky terrain, he began to hear a soft sound, like a whimpering animal. He immediately clicked the safety off his gun because he didn't know if the animal up ahead was dangerous, or injured enough to warrant him putting it out of its misery.  
Soon enough, he came across a hole in the ground that was just deep enough, that if he fell in, he wouldn't be able to get out. The thought must have jinxed him, because as soon as he thought that, the ground under him gave way, and he fell in with a loud thump that echoed through the cave. “Oh no,” he said aloud to himself.  
He knew he wouldn't be able to get out the way he came, so he looked around at his surroundings to get a better feel of the situation he was in. The thing that caught his eye in the wide cave he was in, was the little ball of fluff that was sitting at a dead end of the cave. It was a tiny bear cub, he noticed. ‘It couldn't have even been six months old,’ he thought. It must have fallen in the same way he did. He was glad he found it before it starved to death or something.  
When he continued to look around, he noticed there was only one way to walk. Looking back at the cub, he knew he couldn't just leave it all alone.  
He was snapped out of his thoughts by something poking his leg. He looked down and saw the cub sniffing his leg. When he saw that he realized he was injured. His leg had a big gash on it. The pain came a second later, causing him to wince. He took out the first aid kit he kept in his bag, and quickly disinfected the gash. Next, he quickly sewed it shut with the needle and thread in the kit. Finally, he wrapped it in a bandage. He sighed in relief and wiped the sweat off his brow. It still hurt, but he knew he would be much better off.  
Immediately upon finishing, he realized the safety was still off on his gun. He quickly turned it on and looked at the cub. It was just sitting there looking at him. He waved it over to him so he could check the cub for injuries. Quickly checking, he realized there was none. He was relieved that he didn't need to use anymore medical supplies, as he might need them in the future.  
Jaxson stood up with some difficulties and put all his stuff back into his bag. He grabbed some food out of the bag for him and the cub and a flashlight. Handing the food to the cub, who quickly devoured it, he ate his fill and started walking into the cave, the cub following behind him. When the cub grabbed his leg and clung to it like a leech, he knew he had to get off, because his already throbbing injury flared up in pain.  
Taking the cub by the scruff of his neck, he set it on the ground gently, and continued walking. He knew no one would come looking for him, because they knew he would be gone for the week, so he continued walking, trying to find an alternate exit.  
Walking at a slow pace, because of his leg, he knew he couldn't linger as his supplies will run out quicker with the cub with him. When he looked around again, he happily noticed that there were no bats in the cave.  
Walking for four hours straight was hell on his leg, but he knew he had to keep moving. Coming across a split in the cave he had to choose which one to go into, and that it could be the difference between finding an exit, or getting trapped.  
As he looked between the two passages, he heard the sound of rushing water coming from the right. He decided to go right, as the water had to lead to somewhere. The cub wanted to go right as well, because he was already walking towards it without him. Knowing that the cub has better instincts than him steeled, his resolve.  
Unknown to the boy, deeper into the passage on the left was a poisonous gas that would have killed him within seconds after breathing it in.  
It only took an hour of walking before he came across the river, and when he saw it, he knew he was extremely lucky. On the side of the river was a sidewalk like path that he could walk on. Instead of walking right away, he sat down for a break he knew both him and the cub needed.  
Deciding to stay there for the night, he took off his pack and grabbed some food and took out a water bottle. Drinking almost the whole bottle, he watched the cub drinking his fill at the river. As soon as the cub was done, he came over and sat on Jaxson’s lap.  
Taking the food, he offered the cub some food, who devoured within it in seconds, then he ate some himself. A few minutes later, the cub let out a yawn and fell asleep. An exhausted and injured Jaxson fell asleep as well.  
When Jaxson woke up, he had no idea how long has passed, as there was no sun to see, and he didn't have a watch on him. Jaxson picked up the still sleeping cub and set it aside and got up to go to the bathroom. When he finished, he got the empty water bottles, and filled them up. Then, he got more food out of his bag and woke the cub up so they could eat.  
“Here,” He said, giving the cub a good amount of food, before eating some himself. When they both finished ten minutes later, Jaxson grabbed his bag and rifle, then set out upstream with the cub hot on his heals.  
Soon enough, he began to get bored, so he started thinking about his family. It was only him and his mom, as his father died about two years ago, when he was thirteen. Jaxson thinks about how much he misses him, and wished he was still here with them. His dad was the one who taught him everything. How to hunt and box, how to set snares, and even the material being taught in school.  
When he died, he became how he is now, stoic and emotionless. Of course he still felt emotions, but many people believe otherwise because he doesn't show them very often. His mother is the only person who really knows him.  
He was snapped out of his thoughts by the soft growling coming from the cub. What he saw in front of him made him stop dead in his tracks. The path in front of him could be nothing but manmade. It was too straight and smooth to be anything that was created naturally. He thought that must mean an exit is nearby.  
He patted the cub on the head in thanks and quickened his pace, barely feeling and pain in his leg. After an hour of walking at the quick pace he set, he came across a giant archway. He thought it was one of the most beautiful things he's ever seen. It was very old and had curvy lines chiseled into it that most likely used to be a language.  
After walking through it, he stopped dead at what he saw next. Towering above him were giant, magnificent buildings. Eyes wide in disbelief at what he was seeing, he began looking around for what he was originally looking for. An exit. Seeing the ancient buildings still intact and in good shape astonished him.  
Finally, he came across footholds engraved on the wall leading up to what was most likely a trap door. The holds were in good shape so it would be simple for him to climb up and leave, but the bear would still be trapped.  
Coming up with an idea, he took a rope out of his bag and tied it around the cub with it making a small sound of protest. When he was done, he tied the remainder of the rope around his chest, tightening it until the bear was secure. Then, he began to climb. About halfway up, his leg began hurting again, however he continued climbing until he reached the top.  
Opening the door, of which was covered in dirt, he rolled onto the ground. He laid on his back and untied the cub, who was squirming on his chest, and let it go. The cub proceeded to run around in the grass and sniff everything he could find.  
As he looked upon the scene with a small smile, he thought that life couldn't be more beautiful.


End file.
